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Collecting Experiences on Paper: Stamping Culture

September 4 2018, 4:26pm

Growing up, I used to love collecting stickers and stamps (the kinds you would use with paper). With so many things made digital now, talking about stamps and stickers brings to mind online conversations and messaging apps. With how future forward Taiwan is and just how many people have smartphones, I was surprised to find a huge emphasis on rubber stamping (橡皮图章 / xiang pi tu zhang).

Even at many larger shops, you’ll find little kiosks where you can use their stamps. Many of these stamps are used to signify that you visited a location (and collected that experience).

Kind of like getting your passport stamped with a country’s emblem.

For instance, I recently went to a One Piece store in Ximending where, on the bottom floor, there were a variety of stamps. The stamps featured different One Piece characters and mentioned the name of the store.

Other stamps seem a bit more generic and are there for customers to personalize their items. Because stationery is a huge deal in Taiwan, it’s not uncommon for people to purchase something like a notebook and then personalize it with stamps.

Have you noticed this? What’s your experience with stamping and collecting stamps?

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About Kevin

• From SoCal, graduated from the University of California, Berkeley.
• Digital marketing consultant and mobile application developer.
• Specialty in using technology to create fun, engaging, and useful experiences both online and off.
• Work ethic and character like Anderson Cooper and Walt Disney.
• Fondness for new technology, digital media, and colorful things.